For years, the mushroom market was controlled by the Big Five, white, brown, portobello (really just full-grown brown), oyster and shitake. Enoki were the first to crack the fungi cartel and now there is a cornucopia of exotic cultivated mushrooms, including clamshell, hon shemiji and cinnamon cap. My favourite of the bunch is the king oyster mushroom, which sometimes goes by its Latin name of eryngii. The king oyster consists of a plump white stem topped with a tan cap. Due to its trumpet-like shape, it is sometimes called the royal trumpet. The entire king oyster mushroom is edible and it doesnt need to be cleaned. It also seems to keep much longer than most mushrooms. Ive seen them priced as high as $24.99 per pound, but they can be usually had for just $6.99 per pound at Asian supermarkets. While essentially flavourless, king oyster mushrooms have an irresistible texture that is both silky and chewy. It is said to resemble abalone, hence its Chinese name of xing bao gu or "almond abalone mushroom". King oyster mushrooms are dry and they need a bit of liquid, be it wine, water or stock, to help lubricate the cooking process. The meaty texture also lends itself well to fritters and tempura. Theyre perfectly happy in pasta or risotto, but they should be combined with other mushrooms that can give the dish a boost in the flavour department. Dried porcini offers a blast of woodsy flavour, which helps the king oyster live up to its third moniker, the "poor mans porcini".